Smrity Randhawa
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
“I had professor Smirty during my fall semester Sophomore year. She taught financial accounting, my first accounting class. I remember failing my first quiz and being so distraught. I studied so hard, went to every office hour, did every piece of extra material, and still didn’t perform as high as I wished. Professor sat me down and helped me come to the conclusion that I may have testing anxiety and getting extra time on exams would be beneficial. Because of her passion for helping her students, I was able to excel in the next midterm and final and finish the class with an A-.” – Hana Doss-Wassily
Smrity Randhawa, 43, is the Patrick Grismer Teaching Chair in Accounting and a Professor of Clinical Accounting at the USC Marshall School of Business.
She has taught classes ranging from Introductory Accounting for undergraduate students to Financial Statement Analysis for graduate students. She has received several teaching awards during her time at USC Marshall, including the Evan C. Thompson Teaching and Innovation Award, the student voted Golden Apple Teaching Awards (four times), and the Community Achievement Award.
Recognizing her curricular expertise, Randhawa was recently appointed to USC’s University Committee on Curriculum (UCOC), where she contributes to the university’s curricular advancements, including the development and revision of courses, majors, minors, and certificates. In addition to her faculty duties, Randhawa has served as the associate dean for accounting undergraduate programs. She also provides consulting services related to bankruptcy analysis, fair value accounting measurements and valuations, and damage analysis.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2013
Education: Ph.D. Business from Stanford Graduate School of Business; BBA Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Introduction to Financial Accounting, Introduction to Managerial Accounting and Advanced Financial Accounting.
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I took my first cost accounting class in my senior year, where we were challenged to apply what we had learned in our prior accounting and business classes to real-world scenarios. This experience helped me understand why accounting is the language of business and how important it is for businesses to use the right metrics to track their performance.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I am interested in understanding the impact of regulation on small public companies, and in the past, I have studied how the Sarbanes-Oxley Act affected them. I found that there were significant direct and indirect costs for these companies in becoming compliant with the act. There were also benefits, such as improved earnings quality and increased informativeness, but it was difficult to quantify these benefits in monetary terms.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be …an entrepreneur.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? My passion for accounting and my desire to have my students understand it. These drive me to connect with my students, to work with them to understand their challenges, and support their success in my class and beyond.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Humbling
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: How rewarding it is to connect with all the students, alumni and colleagues. I love being in this environment where I am learning something new every day.
Professor I most admire and why: My friend and mentor, Kendall Simmonds, for helping me understand that I am not only teaching my students but also serving as a role model, so I need to model the behavior I would like to see from them.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I really enjoy teaching accounting because it can be easily put into practice. For example, watching introductory accounting students read annual reports and understand what they see in the financial statements is extremely fulfilling.
What is most challenging? At times, it is challenging to teach students without real-world work experience, as I have to rely more on storytelling and their ability to imagine business scenarios.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Indifferent
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Tough and transparent.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Traveling, reading and long walks with my puppy.
How will you spend your summer? Exploring new countries, attending conferences and updating my classes.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Belize, Tuscany and California’s Central Coast
Favorite book(s): Namesake, Siddhartha and Man’s Search for Meaning.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I don’t watch many movies or TV shows. A good movie I watched recently was Laapataa Ladies. It’s about the journey of self-discovery for two young Indian brides who get swapped on their way to their in-laws’ house.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? My favorite artists are Adele and Lady Gaga. Both have powerful and distinct voices, and I love how they experiment with their music. I also admire them for their advocacy of mental health and social issues.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … If I had my way, there would be a much greater emphasis on experiential learning in the business school, where students would focus on applying what they learned in the classroom. I would like students to interact more with each other and with business professionals to deepen their understanding of different functional areas and of business as a whole.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at …I think the current interview process is flawed, as hiring decisions heavily depend on how an individual performs on a single day and how well they connect with interviewers. This increases the likelihood of teams hiring people with similar life experiences and outlooks instead of prioritizing heterogeneity in backgrounds and life experiences. And I believe companies should do a better job at retention.
I’m grateful for … my supportive family. The inspiration and support I have received from students, colleagues, and alumni at USC Marshall and Leventhal.
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